Portable electronic devices are becoming more predominant and the use of such devices is increasingly advantageous to the user. Along with being advantageous on the person, the devices have specialized uses in the home, vehicles, aircraft, and other transportation means for the user. Examples of such devices include but are not limited to cell phones, music players, navigation equipment, two-way radios, entertainment radios, personal digital assistants, and calculators. In the home, some devices are placed in docking stations where information is exchanged with computers. Other devices have the capability to gather data over wireless links such as infrared and radio.
Generally, a handheld device allows the user to transport, retrieve and even gather information. When using a portable device in a casual environment, the user is typically comfortable holding the device. As the environmental situation changes requiring intervention by the user, such as driving a car or flying an airplane, the user becomes burdened by holding the devices.
Several methods have been devised to hold electronic devices depending on the environment. As mentioned previously, docking stations hold devices while in the home. For Personal Digital Assistants, the docking station may be connected to a computer and a charging apparatus. Entertainment devices may have a holder near a sound system where they can be connected to a receiver. When docking stations are used, cables are typically routed and placed in a semi-permanent position because the docking stations are seldom moved. When placed in a vehicle, the user would not normally have a permanent location for the device.
Issues that the user faces in a vehicle include powering devices for extended periods of time, cables to supplementary devices, movement of the device, pressing actuators, and obtaining safe and proper viewing angles. For example, a satellite radio may require connections to an external antenna, a power source, and the vehicle build in sound system. A navigation device such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver also may require an external antenna, power source, and in some cases connection to a display device. Additionally, navigation equipment in airplanes and boats may have connections to steering and other equipment.
Systems have been devised to capture portable equipment such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,320, to Burrell. The Burrell solution provides a mount on an aircraft yoke and includes an adjustment to facilitate proper viewing angle. Burrell discloses an instrument mounting bracket for the control yoke of an aircraft. The mounting bracket includes a main body having a C-shaped configuration which is intended to receive the yoke. Mounted to the main body is a pressure plate which serves in conjunction with the main body to grip the yoke therebetween. The main body also includes a pair of threaded attachment holes, with one hole being normal to the plane of the C-shape and the other being within such plane. Either hole may receive a threaded shaft having an enlarged section. An extension arm which includes a mount for the instrument is provided with a through hole for the threaded shaft. Passing the shaft through the extension arm and tightening it within one of the attachment holes secures the extension arm to the main body, and permits angular adjustment of the arm with respect to the body. The extension arm may thus be positioned such that the instrument mount is located in front of the yoke handles, readily accessible to the user.
Although the Burrell device captures the units, a preferable design would be to incorporate the device into the pilot normal instrument scan and to provide a means to route cables.